Drilling apparatus



` May V12, 1953 I' Filed April 16, 1946 May 12 19.53 R. A. LEHNER 2,638,326

' A 'DRILLING APPARATUS Filed April 16, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 12, 19353 DRILLING APPARATUS Ray YAugustus Lehner, Claremont, N. H., assigner to J oy Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application April 16, 1946, Serial No. 662,641

(Cl. Z55- 51) 6 Claims.

This invention relates to drilling apparatus and more particularly to an improved adjustable sup'- porting structure for a rotary coal drill.

An object of the present invention is to pro- Ivide an improved drilling apparatus. Another object is to provide an improved adjustable supporting structure for .a rotary coal drill. A further object is to provide an improved adjustable supporting means for a coal drill whereby the latter may be expeditiously adjusted into various drilling positions with respect to the coal face. A still further object is to provide an improved drill supporting structure embodying a novel combination and arrangement of parts whereby the drill may be supported in various positions with respect to the Working face in an improved manner. Yet another object is to provide improved means for locking the parts in adjusted position. These and other objects and advantages of the invention will, however, hereinafter more fully appear.

The present application is a division of my copending application, Serial No. 584,608, led March 24, 1945, now matured into Patent No. 2,491,273, dated December 13, 1949.

In the accompanying drawings there is shown for purposes of illustration one form which the invention may assume in practice.

In these drawings:

Y Fig. 1V is a plan view of a drilling apparatus lconstructed inv accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention. s Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the drilling apparatus shown in Fig. 1, .the lowered position of the drilling tool being indicated in dotted lines.

, Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional View taken substantially on lines 3-3 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view in central longitudinal section taken through the drilling tool and a portion of its adjustable supporting means. j Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional View taken substan- 'tially on line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

'particular form v`of supporting base.l

Carried by the base 2 is a horizontal turntable 3 which ma;T be rotated in any suitable manner either by hand or by power. Pivotally mounted on a transverse shaft 4 supported by brackets 5 on the turntable to swing in a vertical direction ris an elongated boomlike support or boom frame 6 on the outer extremity of which a drilling tool 1 is swivelly mounted. 'Ihe boom frame 6 includes a rear frame portion 8 having spaced arms 9 pivotally mounted on the shaft 4 between the brackets, and extending between the frame portion 8 and the turntable are a pair of extensible lifting jacks I0. The jacks are herein iluid operated and have cylinders II pivotally mounted at their rear ends at I2 on the turntable brackets `5 and containing pistons having their piston rods I3 pivotally connected at I4 to the frame portion 8 of the boom frame beneath the latter. Secured to the frame portion 8 and extending outwardly therefrom is a tubular support I5 having a housing I6 secured to its outer end, and this housing has a bore Ilia in which spaced radial and thrust bearings herein in the form of flanged bearing sleeves Il, I1 are arranged and in which the cylindrical portion of a rotatable support I8 is journaled for rotation about the longitudinal axis A of the boom frame. Enclosed within the housing is worm gearing including a worm wheel I9 keyed to the rotatable support intermediate the support bearings, and a worm 20 meshes with the worm wheel and is fixed .to a transverse shaft 2| suitably journaled within the housing I6. This shaft has polygonal end portions 22, 22 shaped to receive a suitable turning leveror crank. The teeth of the worm gears are self-locking and serve to lock the rotatable support I8 in adjustable position with respect to the boom frame. The rotatable support I8 has `formed in its outer portion a transverse bore 23 containing spaced radial and thrust bearings in the form of flanged bearing sleeves 23a in which a cylindrical portion of a rotatable support 24 is journaled for rotation about an axis D at right angles to the axis of rotation of the rotatable support I8. Threaded in an opening in the support I8 at its forward side is a set screw 25 having an operating handle 26 and engageable withthe cylindrical portion of the'rotatable support 24 between the bearings for locking the support 24 in its adjusted position with respect to the support I8. The rotatable support 24 has an .outer'yoke vshaped portion 21 having arms supporting pivot pins 28 held in position in bores in .thefyoke arms by set screws 29. The pivot pins are received in bearing sleeves positioned in that the latter is pivotally mounted to rock about a transverse axis C with respect to the rotatable support 24. The pivotal axis of the frame 30 is located at one side of the longitudinal axis A of the boom frame as shown in Fig. The drilling tool l is carried by the rocking frame 30 as later explained, and the rocking support has a frame sector or segment 3l integral therewith within the yoke and engageable by a set screw 32 threaded within an opening in the adjacent arm of the yoke frame 2l and having an operating handle 33. The set screw is engageable with the frame segment 3l for locking the rocking frame 30 in its adjusted posiitcn on its pivot with respect to the rotatable support 24. It is accordingly evident that the boom frame may be swung in a vertical direction with respect to the turntable and in a horizontal direction with the turntable, the supports i3 and 2t may be adjusted about their respective axes A and D, and the rocking frame 3G may be tilted about its pivotal axis C. to vary the supported position of the drilling tool l.

The drilling tool 'l has its longitudinal axis B aligned with the longitudinal axis of an elongated tubular housing or tubular support 34 rigidly secured to the rocking frame 3i) as by welding, and this tubular support is arranged so that its longitudinal axis which is aligned with the tool axis B and the pivotal axis C of the frame 3E lie in a common longitudinal plane. Carried at the forward .end ol the tubular housing Si@ is a drill housing 35 by which a hydraulically operated motor .it is carried,` and this motor is operatively connected to a conventional drillingr implement e 3l, such as an auger drill steel. Arranged in the tubular supllOrt, 3.4 is a hydraulically operated reversible feeding means 33 for feeding the drilling implement toward and from the work. A

vconventi,onal valve b ox 39 is mounted on the boom near the drilling tool, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and this valve box contains conventional control valves 4Q, All and l2 for controlling the ,flow of liquid under pressure to the boom lift jacks it, the drilling motor St and the reversible feeding meansY 38 all in the manner fully described in the above mentioned copending application. A pump and tank may be arranged x'vithln the base 2 beneath the turntable if deaired; or in the event the drilling apparatus is mounted on a coal cutting machine, the pump and tank may be embodied within the machine, rihis pump is adaptedto supply liquid under pressure to the valve box 39. Since the specific structure of the drilling tool is fully described in the application above referred to and does not per se enter into the present invention, further descrip.- tion thereof is herein unnecessary.

The mode of use of the improved drilling apparatus is as follows: When the drilling apparatus is suitably positioned with respect to a coal seam to be drilled, liquid under pressure may be supplied from the pump to the jack cylinders ll under the controlof the valve ill` to effect swingingy of the boom frarney S upwardly about its pivot 4 with respect to the turntable 3, and the valve may then be positioned to trap the liquid within the jack cylinders to lock the boom frame in adjusted position.' When the Valve 4l is positioned to connect the jack; cylinders to the exhaust, the boom frame may be lowered as desired. The worin gearingY t9, 29- may be manually operated to rotate the support I8 with` respect to the boom frame ci to locate the drilling tool l about the boom frame axis Aas desired, and the gear teeth of the worm gearing lock the support I8 in adjusted position with respect to the boom frame. The set screw may be loosened to permit turning of the rotatable support 2li about its axis D with respect to the support It and thereafter the set screw may be tightened firmly to lock the support in adjusted position. The set screw 32 may be loosened to permit rocking of the tilting frame 3U about its pivotal axis C with respect to the support 2li to vary the inclination of the drilling tool l' with respect to the longitudinal axis A of the boornlike support t, and, by tightening the set screw against the frame segment 3l, the drilling tool may be r-rnly locked in its adjusted position, The valve `t2 may then be positioned to supply liquid under 'pressure from the pump to the motor 35 to effect rotation of the drilling implement 3l, and, as the drilling implement is rapidly rotated, the valve til may be positioned to admit liquid under pressure to the feeding means 38 to feed the drilling implement forwardly toward the work. When it is desired to retract the drilling pleinent, this may be accomplished by positioning the valve il@ to connect the forward feeding means to exhaust and to supply liquid under pressure to the reverse feeding means. The drilling tool l may be adjusted with the rotatable support it about the longitudinal axis A of the boom frarne and may be adjusted about rectangularly related axes C and D relative to the rotatable support i8, thereby enabling adjustment ci the drilling tool through a wide range of positions with respect to the boom frame. The drilling tool l be swung about its pivotal axis C to locate the longitudinal axis B of the tool in parallelism with the boom frame axis A, indicated in broken lines in Fig. 2, and in such position the pivotal axis C lies in a longitudinal plane G parallel with the boom frame axis A. By mounting the boom frame for vertical swinging movement on,k and for horizontal movement with, the turntable, the bcc-1n frame may be adjusts in vertical and horizontal planes P and F respectively,` with` respect to the base, thereby providing a wide range of operation of the drilling tool. By locating the valve box Sti on the boom frame near the drilling tool, control of the drilling motor, the boom trarne and the feeding means is facilitated.

As a result of' this invention, an improved drilling apparatus is provided whereby blast holes may be drilled in a coal face at various locations, and, by the provision ci the improved adjustable support and swivel mounting for the drilling tool, the latter may be easily and quickly adjusted to the desired drilling position with respect to the work. rlhe drilling tool may not only be easliy adjusted to the desired 4drilling position but it also may be firmly locked in place, and the locking means are conveniently arranged so that the parts may be quickly adjusted. Other uses and advantages of the invention will be clearly apparent to those skilled in the art.

While there is in this application specifically describedv one form which the invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this forni' of the same is shown for purposes of illustration and that the invention may be modified and embodiedin various other forms without departingl from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a drilling apparatus, the. combination comprising 'a supporting base, a horizontal turnaccesses table on said base, a boomlike frame pivotally mounted on said turntable to swing ina vertical direction relative thereto and to turn horizontally with said turntable about the turntable axis, a rotatable support mounted at the outer end of said boomlike frame for rotation about the 1ongitudinal axis of the latter, said rotatable support havinga transverse bore arranged with its axis at right angles to the longitudinal axis of said boomlike frame in advance of the latter, a yokelike frame having a cylindrical portion journaled in said bore to turn relative to said rotatable support and a yokelike portion disposed laterally of said boomlike frame, said yokelke portion providing spaced yoke arms, and a drilling tool embodying rotating .and feeding means and having an aligned rigid support, said tool-support swivelly mounted on said yoke arms of said lateral portion of said yokelike frame to rock relative thereto about an axis extending transversely of said tool-support between the top and bottom of the tool, said yokelike portion str-addling said tool-support with said yoke arms disposed at opposite sides of the tool, and said transverse axis disposed at right angles to the swivel axis of said yokelike frame and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said tool, said transverse axis intersecting said longitudinal tool axis.

2. In a drilling apparatus, the combination comprising a base carrying a horizontal turntable, a boom frame pivotally mounted on said turntable to swing in a vertical direction with respect thereto, a support rotatably supported at the outer extremity of said boom frame to rotate about the longiudinal axis of said boom frame, a second support swiveled on said rotatable support to turn relative thereto about an axis at right angles to the axis of rotation of said first support, said second support having a yokelike portion located laterally at one side of said boom frame and having spaced yoke arms provided with inwardly extending trunnions, and an elongated drill support extending along'one side of said boom frame and having at its opposite sides lateral bores and bearings received in said bores and in which the trunnions are mounted.

3. In a drillingapparatus, the combination comprising a rotatable support journaled for rotation in a frame and having a portion in ad- Vance of its bearing, said portion having a transverse bore arranged at right angles to the axis of support rotation, ya yokelike frame having a cylindrical portion journaled in said transverse bore and a laterally located yoke portion project-y ing beyond one side of said rotatable support and having spaced yoke arms, and a drilling tool having an elongated rearward support aligned with the longitudinal axis of the tool tiltably mounted onl said lateral yoke portion of said yokelike frame with the yoke arms straddling said rearward support, the axis of tilt of said rearward support extending, when said tool is in horizontal drilling position, across said tool from said to side thereof at right angles to a vertical plane including the longitudinal axis of said tool.

4:. In a drilling apparatus, the combination comprising a swiveled support having a yokelike portion including spaced yoke arms, a drilling tool having a rearward support pivotally mounted on said yokelike portion between the yoke arms, a segment integral with said rearward tool support and arranged inside said yokelike portion near one of the yoke arms, and a set screw threaded in said one of the yoke arms and engageable with the outer surface of said segment for locking the drilling tool in adjusted position, said segment and said set screw being eiective to lock the drilling tool in any of its tilted positions on said swiveled support.

5. In a drilling apparatus, the combination comprising a support having a transverse bore at right angles to the longitudinal axis of said support and carrying spaced bearings at opposite sides of its longitudinal axis, a drilling tool support having a cylindrical portion journaled in the bearings of said first support, and an adjustable locking element threaded in said first support at one side of the latter and engageable with said cylindrical portion intermediate said spaced bearings for locking said tool support in its adjusted positions relative to said first support.

6. In a drilling apparatus, the combination comprising an elongated support, a housing carried at the outer extremity of said support and having an axial bore and providing a chamber communicating with said bore between its ends, axially spaced bearing sleeves fitted in said housing-bore and having flanges at their adjacent ends engaging the opposed end walls of said chamber, a cylindrical drilling tool support rotatably mounted at longitudinally spaced points within said bearing sleeves to rotate about the longitudinal axis of said elongated support, and means for rotating said tool support in saidbearing sleeves relative to Said elongated support including a rotating member for said tool support arranged in said housing-chamber and surrounding and xed to said tool support between said bearing sleeves with the opposite sides of said rotating member engaging said sleeve anges whereby said iianges receive the end thrust of said tool support in opposite directions through said rotating member.

RAY AUGUSTUS LEHNER.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,123,897 Holmes July 19, 1938 2,218,491 Osgood Oct. l5, 1940 2,491,273 Lehner Dec. 13, 1949 2,500,931 Curtis Mar. 21, 1950 2,500,932 Curtis et al Mar. 21, 1950 

